Attachment for a gas refill

ABSTRACT

An attachment for a gas refill whereby the refill can be converted into a flame producing mechanism. The attachment can shut off and vary the size of the flame by controlling the flow of gas which escapes through a burner valve by actuating a valve lifting cam.

United States Patent [72] Inventors Everett Kimball; [56] Referen eCited Paul Urban, b0! 0| Stroudsburg, Pa. UNTED STATES PATENTS P 866502,821,048 1/1958 Efford et al... 222/402.13 [22] F1led Oct. 14, 19692,860,820 11/1958 Falhgant 222/402.13 Patented June 1971 3 283 963 111966 B 1 222 402 13 [73] Assignee Ronson Corporation oyer etaWoodbi-idge, NJ. Primary Examiner-Harvey C. Hornsby AssistantExaminer-H. S. Lane AttorneyMarvin Trimas [54] ATTACHMENT FOR A GASREFILL 7 Claims, 13 Drawing Figs.

222/44, 222/3, 222/402.13, 431/344 ABSTRACT: An attachment for a gasrefill whereby the refill [51] Int. Cl F23q 2/00 Can be converted into aflame producing mechanism. The at- [50] Field of Search 222/30, 23,tachmen can shut off and vary the size of the flame by con- 44.46, 3,402.13, 402.14; 431/344, 130, 150, I42, trolling the flow of gas whichescapes through a burner valve 143; 222/325 by actuating a valve liftingcam.

1 2 i .7 I g 47 ii I Z 1] iw J0 PATENIEUJuN 8l97l 3583846 sum 1 0r 4ATTORNEY PATENTEUJUN 8197! 3583.846

SHEET 3 OF 4 20 T r 3/ D 5/ ATTO R N EY ATTACHMENT FOR A GAS REFILLBACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION There are many devices on the market whichcan be refueled with a liquefied fuel gas such as butane. These deviceshave appeared in the form of gas cigarette lighters and portable stoves,for example, which have a fuel reservoir therein. The fuel reservoir,when empty, can be replenished by refueling it through an inlet valve inthe reservoir. A gas refill supplies the gas through the inlet valveinto the reservoir of the lighter.

It has been found desirable and economical to use the refill itself as afuel reservoir thereby eliminating the need for a selfcontainedreservoir and an inlet valve.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An attachment, which has been made toreleasably fit upon a refill container, has a needle therein forpiercing a rubber diaphragm on a refill. When the diaphragm is pierced,gas can flow through the hollow needle. It is not necessary to use aneedle as a means to actuate a refill. If a refill is used having aspring-biased valve thereon, then a plate which fits over thespring-biased valve having an opening therein can be used to actuate therefill and initiate a flow of gas. The gas can then flow into a burnervalve from whence it exits and is ignited. The burner valve consists ofa housing having a stem therein which is spring-biased to a closedposition.

Upon rotation of an adjusting wheel, the stem of the burner valve islifted to permit gas to flow to the atmosphere and be ignited. Byturning the adjusting wheel which is in splined engagement with theburner valve, the amount of gas released from the burner valve can beadjusted and thus the size of the flame produced can be adjusted to suitones needs.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide anattachment for a refill to convert the refill into a controlled flameemitting device.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a flame emittingdevice which is simple to fabricate and inexpensive to manufacture.

It is another object of this invention to provide a mechanism forcontrolling the flow of gas through a burner valve.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent as the following description proceeds and the features ofnovelty which characterize the invention will be pointed out withparticularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of thisspecification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS For a better understanding of thepresent invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings inwhich:

FIG. I is a perspective view showing the attachment for a refill whichis shown in dashed lines;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the attachment;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the attachment;

FIG. 4 is a view taken along line 44 in FIG. 3;

FIG. 4a is a cross section showing a flame adjusting attachment securedto a refill;

FIG. 5 is a cross section of the upper portion of the attachment;

FIG. 6 is a top view partly in section ofa cam follower;

FIG. 7 is a top view of the shroud taken along line 7-7 in FIG. 5;

FIG. 8 is a view taken along line 8-8 in FIG. 5;

FIG. 9 is a cross section showing another embodiment of the invention;

FIG. I0 is a top view ofa modified cam follower;

FIG. 11 is a top view taken along line 11-11 in FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is atop view taken along line 12-12 in FIG. 9.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT In FIG. I there is shown a flameadjusting attachment I0 releasably attached to a refill II. The refillcan be of the type which is well known and is depicted in U.S. Pat. No.3,224,626 filed Dec. 27, 1963 and issued on Dec. 21, I965 to ConradZellweger. The refill II has a hollow neck 12 thereon terminating apierceable, self-sealing diaphragm 13. A fuel, preferably of theliquefied petroleum type, such as butane, is stored under pressure inthe refill 11. The refill 11 has a circular rim 14 on the upper portionthereof and a recessed portion 15 therein. The rim l4 and the recessedportion 15 thus define a shoulder I6 therebetween.

The attachment I0 comprises a valve housing 17 which can be a moldedplastic part or can be formed of metal or any other material The valvehousing I7 has a socket 18 therein into which a valve 20 can be threadedor pressed. Directly beneath the socket I8 is a needle I9 which ishollow throughout its length. The needle can be held in position in thevalve housing 17 by a press fit or it can be glued in position or heldin place by any known securing means. The gasket 21 prevents liquid gasfrom leaking back past the needle.

The needle 19 communicates with an open socket 22 in the valve housingI7. The needle 19 is merely the preferable embodiment. The needle can bereplaced by a plate (not shown) having an opening therein for thepassage of gas. The plate would operate to actuate the nozzle 12, whichcould be of the aerosol type, i.e. it is spring-biased to closedposition of the refill to permit the flow of gas to the burner valve 20.

The valve housing 17 has upper lands 23 which can be any number thereonwhich forms a cam surface. The cam surface has a gradual inclinationfrom a low to a high point being in the form of a crown cam. The angleof the incline being a matter of choice, however, the rise of the cammust be sufficient to raise a valve opening member high enough to openthe burner valve 20.

Integral with the valve housing 17 is a spaced circumferential dependingshroud 24 having a circular flange 25 integrally affixed thereto. Theflange 25 functions as a gripping surface whereby the attachment 10 canbe conveniently removed from the refill l1 and a convenient element torotate to open and close the valve 20. In this regard a striated orknurled gripping surface can be placed on the end of the flange.

A circumferential bead 26 on the depending shroud 24 serves to maintaina flame adjusting member 27 attached to the shroud 24. The flameadjusting member 27 is preferably formed of a resilient material such asplastic such that by expanding its lower portion outwardly, it can besnapped over the bead 26. When the adjusting member resumes its initialconfiguration, the bead 26 will prevent its removal from the shroud 24except by forcing the adjusting member 27 away from the bead 26. Theupper portion of the adjusting member 27 is formed with a plurality ofrecesses 28 therein although any number can be chosen. A top wall 29having an opening 30 therein serves as a connecting member to adjust theburner valve 20. The burner valve can be a known valve such as shown anddescribed in US. Pat. No. 2,571,435 filed June 1 I, 1949 and issued onOct. 16, I951 to Alexander L. Flamm. Basically the burner valve has astem 31 which is reciprocally mounted in a bushing 32, and alongitudinal tube 33 having a bore therethrough. The bushing 32 hassplines 34 thereon which interengage with corresponding splines milledor otherwise formed into the opening 30 of the top wall 29. A spring 36can be used to maintain the valve stem 31 in closed position whereby nogas can flow through the orifice 37, because a seal 38 bears firmly onthe orifice. When the bushing 32 is rotated clockwise it moves inwardlyby means of its threaded engagement with the fixed socket 39. Thebushing bears on the freely movable longitudinal tube 33 which is thenforced against the capillary wick 40. The wick functions to bringliquefied gas to the burner valve where it evaporates. By compressingthe capillary wick 40 against the fixed sphere 41, the flow of fuel canbe regulated as more fully described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,836,044 filed onJuly 26, I956 and issued on May 27, 1958 to Conrad Zellweger.

A valve lifter 43 which can be a ceramic, a metal or other material fitsinto the recesses 28 and an opening 44 therein surrounds the bushing 32.A leg or a plurality of legs 45 depend from the valve lifter 43 andfunctions as a cam follower. The legs 45 extend through the opening 28in the top wall 29 and rest on the lands 23.

A plate 46 having an opening therein is removable secured to the stem 31of the burner valve 20. The plate serves to maintain the valve lifter 43loosely held on the attachment l and when the cam 43 moves upwardly, itbears against the plate 46 which, since it is attached to the stem 30,will be lifted also.

Integral with the lower portion of the shroud 24 is a dependingcircumferential skirt 47. The skirt is formed of a plurality of fingers48. A circumferential rib 49 extends around the periphery of the fingers48. The fingers are separated by slots 50. The fingers are preferablyresilient and when they are forced from their rest position, they willreturn to rest position upon release of the force.

A ceramic cap 51 which can have cooling fins 52 thereon and an opening53 therein is screwed or otherwise secured to member 27 to retain thevalve lifter in place.

An abutment 54 on the shroud 24 bears against a rib 55 on the innersurface of the flame adjusting member 27. The reason for this is that itconveys to the user a tactile feeding that the device has clicked to anoff" position.

Thus, when the protruding pointer 56 is adjacent the indicia O, theabutment 55 on the member 27 will have gone past the abutment 54 on theleft side thereof as viewed in FIG. 2, and the gas flow will be shutoff. When the pointer 55 is moved to the indicia L, the abutment on themember 27 will pass the abutment 54 and the user will feel a slightrestraint and the valve will open slightly such that a low flame will beproduced when the gas is ignited. As the member 27 is rotated in acounterclockwise direction the valve will open to a greater extentthereby permitting more gas to flow until the pointer reaches theindicia M. At this point the rib 56 abuts the high stop 57 and themaximum flame height is reached. A similar low stop 58 iscircumferentially spaced from the high stop and functions to preventrotation past the closed indicia O.

The embodiment shown in FIGS. 9-12 comprises a valve housing 17 having asocket 18 therein into which a burner valve 20 is threaded or pressed.There is a needle 19 which functions as in the previous embodiment.

The modification differs from the previous embodiment basically in thetype of valve lifter which is employed. The valve lifter 43a shown inFIG. is formed from a metal stamping although any known material and anyknown method can be employed to fabricate the lifter. The valve lifter43a comprises a plurality of legs 45a having a tab 51 integral with andlocated at the terminal portion of each leg 43a. Each tab 51 hasupturned ears 52 which form each leg into a cam follower which rides onthe tapered lands 23. In all other respects the valve lifter in theembodiment of FIGS. 9-12 functions like the valve lifter 43 previouslydescribed.

In actual operation, the attachment 10 is placed on the refill 11 bypressing the fingers 48 into the recess on the refill. Because thefingers are resilient, they will be cammed inwardly of the shoulder 16and then become locked in the recess 15 below the shoulder 16. Theneedle 19 or other refill actuating means will then pierce or otherwiseactuate the nozzle of the refill. The gas in the refill travels up thehollow bore of the needle 19 and into the capillary wick 40. Since thestem 31 having a seal 38 on the end thereof is spring-biased into closedposition, no gas can pass through the orifice 37.

In order to initiate a flow of gas, the user must rotate the adjustingmember 27, which can have a roughened surface, in a counterclockwisedirection with respect to the flange 25. Conversely, the flange 25 canbe rotated with respect to the adjusting member 27. As the member 27 isrotated, the rib 56 moves over the abutment 54 and the valve lifter israised by the inclined lands 23. The depending legs 45 of the camlifterfollow the rising cam surface and is thereby lifted upwardly awayfrom the refill until it abuts-the plate 46. Since the plate 46 issecured to the stem 31, the stern and seal 38 move upwardly to permitgas to flow through the bore in the stem to the atmosphere. The issuinggas can then be ignited. The size of the flame can be adjusted byrotating the adjusting member 27 within a predetermined limit betweenindicia L and M so as not to shut off the flow of gas. Rotation of themember 27 causes rotation of the bushing 32 to which it is splined. Thebushing threads its way into the socket 39 and forces the lon' gitudinaltube 33 to compress the capillary wick 40. Since the flow of gas isthereby limited or is made more plentiful, depending upon the pressureexerted on the wick, the flame height will be lowered or raised to suitthe needs of the user. To shut offthe flow of gas the adjusting memberis rotated in a clockwise direction and when the rib 56 goes over theabutment 54, the user can feel that the unit has been shut off.

While there has been shown and described a single embodiment of theinvention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changesand modifications may be made without departing from the invention, andthat it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such changes andmodifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What I claim as new and desire to be secured by Letters Patent of theUnited States is:

1. An attachment for a refill containing fuel therein comprising,

a. a valve housing having a socket therein for the reception ofa burnervalve,

b. a burner valve mounted in the socket, said burner valve having apassage therethrough culminating in a burner mouth for the release offuel to the atmosphere, said burner mouth extends slightly and axiallyabove the socket wherein a flame is produced which is contiguous withthe mouth of the burner valve and adjacent the valve housing so as toform 'a compact decorative attachment for a refill,

c. an enclosure member housing a refill actuating means therein which isfixed to the valve housing and is adapted to actuate a valve on therefill to initiate a flow of fuel to the burner valve,

d. resilient fingers on the valve housing adapted to removably attachthe attachment to a refill.

2. An attachment as defined in claim 1 in which adjusting means isrotatably mounted on the valve housing and is attached to andcircumscribes the burner valve such that rotation of the adjusting meansserves to adjust the flow of fuel through the burner valve.

3. An attachment as defined in claim 2 in which a nonheat conducting capis mounted above the valve housing and above the mouth of the burnervalve whereby the user is shielded from the flame when adjusting theflame height.

4. An attachment combined with a refill in which the combinationcomprises,

a. a flame producing member comprising an inner fixed member and aburner valve on the fixed member, an outer flame adjusting membercircumscribing said inner fixed member and having means thereon toadjustably rotate the burner valve to vary the flame size,

b. a skirt depending from the flame producing member,

c. a resilient circumferential rib surrounding at least a portion of thedepending skirt,

d. a recess on the upper portion of the refill which receives thedepending skirt of the flame producing member, and

e. a shoulder above the recess on the refill into which the ribfrictionally engages to maintain the refill engaged with the flameproducing member, and

f. gas flow means interconnecting the refill and the flame producingmember. 5. An attachment for a refill containing fuel thereincomprising,

a. a valve housing having a socket therein for the reception ofa burnervalve, b. a burner valve mounted in the socket,

c. an enclosure member housing a refill actuating means therein which isfixed to the valve housing and is adapted to actuate a valve on therefill to initiate a flow of fuel to the burner valve,

d. resilient fingers on the valve housing adapted to removablyattach theattachment to a refill,

e. means indicating that the flow of fuel has stopped and has started,

f. the valve housing has a raised surface thereon in the form of a camand a valve lifter mounted adjacent the burner valve in which the valvelifter has a portion thereof in contact with the cam and a portion incontact with the adjusting member such that movement of the adjustingmember causes the valve lifter to actuate the burner valve therebypermitting fuel to issue from the burner valve.

6. An attachment for a refill containing fuel therein comprising,

a. a valve housing having a socket therein for the reception of a burnervalve,

b. a burner valve mounted in the socket,

c. an enclosure member housing a refill actuating means therein which isfixed to the valve housing and is adapted to actuate a valve on therefill to initiate a flow of fuel to the burner valve,

d. resilient fingers on the valve housing adapted to removably attachthe attachment to a refill,

e. adjusting means is rotatably mounted on the valve housing'and isattached to and circumscribes the burner valve such that rotation of theadjusting means serves to adjust the flow offuel through the burnervalve,

f. the valve lifter comprises a member having at least one depending legthereon such that the depending leg can contact the cam and a platefixed to the burner valve and located adjacent the valve lifter suchthat movement of the valve lifter causes a corresponding movement in theplate.

7. An attachment for a refill containing fuel therein comprising,

a. a valve housing having a socket therein for the reception ofa burnervalve,

b. a burner valve mounted in the socket,

c. an enclosure member housing a refill actuating means therein which isfixed to the valve housing and is adapted to actuate a valve on therefill to initiate a flow of fuel to the burner valve,

d. resilient fingers on the valve housing adapted to removably attachthe attachment to a refill,

. means indicating that the flow of fuel has stopped and has started,

the valve housing has a raised surface thereon in the form of a cam anda valve lifter mounted adjacent the burner valve in which the valvelifter has a portion thereof in contact with the cam and a portion incontact with the adjusting member such that movement of the adjustingmember causes the valve lifter to actuate the burner valve therebypermitting fuel to issue from the burner valve,

g. the valve lifter further comprises a tab fixed to the outer end ofthe depending leg and having ears which extend upward and outward fromthe sides of the tab to gradually raise the valve lifter onto the camsurface.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent 3583846Dated lune 8 1971 Inventor(s) Everett Kimball It is certified that errorappears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent arehereby corrected as shown below:

In the specification Column 2, line 4, before "a" first occurrence,insert --in-- Column 3, line 7, change "removable" to --removably--Column 3, line 25, change "feeding" to -feeling-.

Signed and sealed this 11th day of January 1972.

(SEAL) At'beat .BDIIARD M, FILJTCHJBR J ii HO BERT GOTTSCHAL K AttestingOfficer Acting Commissioner of Patents FORM USCOMM-DC suave-poo 9 U.SGOV ENNMIINT PRINTING OFFICE: I909 0-308-134

1. An attachment for a refill containing fuel therein comprising, a. avalve housing having a socket therein for the reception of a burnervalve, b. a burner valve mounted in the socket, said burner valve havinga passage therethrough culminating in a burner mouth for the release offuel to the atmosphere, said burner mouth extends slightly and axiallyabove the socket wherein a flame is produced which is contiguous withthe mouth of the burner valve and adjacent the valve housing so as toform a compact decorative attachment for a refill, c. an enclosuremember housing a refill actuating means therein which is fixed to thevalve housing and is adapted to actuate a valve on the refill toinitiate a flow of fuel to the burner valve, d. resilient fingers on thevalve housing adapted to removably attach the attachment to a refill. 2.An attachment as defined in claim 1 in which adjusting means isrotatably mounted on the valve housing and is attached to andcircumscribes the burner valve such that rotation of the adjusting meansserves to adjust the flow of fuel through the burner valve.
 3. Anattachment as defined in claim 2 in which a nonheat conducting cap ismounted above the valve housing and above the mouth of the burner valvewhereby the user is shielded from the flame when adjusting the flameheight.
 4. An attachment combined with a refill in which the coMbinationcomprises, a. a flame producing member comprising an inner fixed memberand a burner valve on the fixed member, an outer flame adjusting membercircumscribing said inner fixed member and having means thereon toadjustably rotate the burner valve to vary the flame size, b. a skirtdepending from the flame producing member, c. a resilientcircumferential rib surrounding at least a portion of the dependingskirt, d. a recess on the upper portion of the refill which receives thedepending skirt of the flame producing member, and e. a shoulder abovethe recess on the refill into which the rib frictionally engages tomaintain the refill engaged with the flame producing member, and f. gasflow means interconnecting the refill and the flame producing member. 5.An attachment for a refill containing fuel therein comprising, a. avalve housing having a socket therein for the reception of a burnervalve, b. a burner valve mounted in the socket, c. an enclosure memberhousing a refill actuating means therein which is fixed to the valvehousing and is adapted to actuate a valve on the refill to initiate aflow of fuel to the burner valve, d. resilient fingers on the valvehousing adapted to removably attach the attachment to a refill, e. meansindicating that the flow of fuel has stopped and has started, f. thevalve housing has a raised surface thereon in the form of a cam and avalve lifter mounted adjacent the burner valve in which the valve lifterhas a portion thereof in contact with the cam and a portion in contactwith the adjusting member such that movement of the adjusting membercauses the valve lifter to actuate the burner valve thereby permittingfuel to issue from the burner valve.
 6. An attachment for a refillcontaining fuel therein comprising, a. a valve housing having a sockettherein for the reception of a burner valve, b. a burner valve mountedin the socket, c. an enclosure member housing a refill actuating meanstherein which is fixed to the valve housing and is adapted to actuate avalve on the refill to initiate a flow of fuel to the burner valve, d.resilient fingers on the valve housing adapted to removably attach theattachment to a refill, e. adjusting means is rotatably mounted on thevalve housing and is attached to and circumscribes the burner valve suchthat rotation of the adjusting means serves to adjust the flow of fuelthrough the burner valve, f. the valve lifter comprises a member havingat least one depending leg thereon such that the depending leg cancontact the cam and a plate fixed to the burner valve and locatedadjacent the valve lifter such that movement of the valve lifter causesa corresponding movement in the plate.
 7. An attachment for a refillcontaining fuel therein comprising, a. a valve housing having a sockettherein for the reception of a burner valve, b. a burner valve mountedin the socket, c. an enclosure member housing a refill actuating meanstherein which is fixed to the valve housing and is adapted to actuate avalve on the refill to initiate a flow of fuel to the burner valve, d.resilient fingers on the valve housing adapted to removably attach theattachment to a refill, e. means indicating that the flow of fuel hasstopped and has started, f. the valve housing has a raised surfacethereon in the form of a cam and a valve lifter mounted adjacent theburner valve in which the valve lifter has a portion thereof in contactwith the cam and a portion in contact with the adjusting member suchthat movement of the adjusting member causes the valve lifter to actuatethe burner valve thereby permitting fuel to issue from the burner valve,g. the valve lifter further comprises a tab fixed to the outer end ofthe depending leg and having ears which extend upward and outward fromthe sides of the tab to gradually raise the valve lifter onto the camsurface.